Juana Valdes, East West Still life II (From the series East to West in Reverse), 2014, Digital print, 23 × 33 in.

Nov. 5, 2016 – Jan. 8, 2017

Opening Reception: Friday, Nov. 4, 2016

Curated by William Cordova

The works selected by curator William Cordova represent four generations of South Florida artists whose practice is informed and rooted in the geography, community and multi-cultural diversity of the region. These are artists who have endured and evolved as South Florida has changed, and yet still transcend the boundaries of expectation.

Ernesto Oroza, Untitled (Habitat cell made out with euphorbia trigona shrubs and an aluminum door.) From architecture of necessity, 2012, Digital print

Onajide Shabaka, Confluence no. 6 (Burgos), 2014, Watercolor on historical flyer

Yanira Collado, Cuesta abajo, 2016, Ink, drywall, brick, 12 × 10 × 3 in.

The exhibition offers a glimpse into the prism of South Florida art through sculpture, painting, drawing, audio and film. The works are derived from many different parts of the region and utilize a variety of concepts and scale. Exhibiting artists include the late Purvis Young, the first real home-grown talent whose prolific and complex work gained international critical acclaim well before the 2000s; Karen Rifas, whose expansive site-specific ephemeral installations have been a trademark and influence on the ever-evolving local scene since the 1970s; Robert Thiele, the first Florida artist to be included in the prestigious Whitney Biennial (1975); Juana Valdes, whose work has been included in various biennials, including the Havana and SITE Santa Fe biennials, and yet locally goes unnoticed by major museums; and Onajide Shabaka, visual artist, anthropologist, botanist and writer, a cultural practitioner whose artistic depth and contributions remain unmatched. These are only a few of the many practitioners whose works will be highlighted in this survey of a southern Florida collective.

Donald McKnight, Nubian, 2009, Ball point pen and markers on paper, 16 × 13 in.

Glexis Novoa, Landscape of Symbols I, 2005, Collage on paper, 10 × 16 in., Courtesy of David Castillo Gallery

Karen Rifas, 0277, 2016, Acrylic on Arches watercolor paper, 45 × 45 in. unframed

Events

Spanish Language Tour of transphysics: istwa, landscapes, paisajes led by Gean Moreno and Izel Vargas in collaboration with letraurbana.com
Sat., Nov. 12, 2 pm

Panel Discussion with william cordova, Aramis O’Reilly , Karen Rifas, and Onajide Shabaka
Sat., Dec. 17, 2 pm

All events free with gallery admission; free for members.

Artists

Funded in part by Visit Florida.